7 Ways To Protect Your Data

1. Make sure that you’ve set up an iCloud account. If you have iTunes, you probably already have one. All Apple device owners can set one up. To check whether you already have one, go to iCloud.com. iCloud stores all your information – it will be there even if your devices are stolen. You can also access your information on all your devices.

2. Turn on the “Find my iPhone” feature on your phone. If your phone is stolen or lost, you can track the location on the iCloud website. You can also use this feature to put a message and a phone number onto your phone if it was lost, so that the finder can contact you. (This is called “Lost Mode.”)

3. Through the “Lost Mode” you can also “lock” your phone once it’s lost or stolen. You do this by adding a passcode (or locking code) if there wasn’t one already on your device.

4. If you know your phone/iPad was stolen, alert police to the general location of the device. Police departments are becoming accustomed to dealing with this.

5. Put a passcode onto your phone as soon as you get it. If you don’t, the thief can wipe your phone clean immediately (by plugging into their computer and restoring factory settings). The passcode won’t stop more sophisticated criminals, but it will prevent many of them from being able to re-sell (making it more likely that you’ll get the phone back).

6. Register your serial number somewhere as soon as you get the device. If it’s stolen you can report it to the carrier, and the carrier will block that device from getting back on the network.

7. If you have data on the device that you’re worried about, you can go to iCloud and do a “remote clean” where you wipe all the data off the device.